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History - Miss Wilde > Era of New Labour (1997 - 2007) > Flashcards

Era of New Labour (1997 - 2007) Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the Third Way

A

The name given to the new consensus

1988 pamphlet by Blair described:
* Equal worth
* Oppurtunity for all
* Responsibility
* Community

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2
Q

Describe Blair’s position in 1997

A
  • 419 seats to the Conservatives 165
  • Strong cabinet
  • Favourable economic position
  • Conservative opposition was demoralised
  • Wide spread public goodwill
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3
Q

Describe the reality of the 1997 Labour ‘landslide’

A
  • Won 43% of the vote

However…
* Poor turnout
* Fewer people voted for Labour in 1997 than at any point 1945 to 1966
* Labour vote was 500,000 less than Major had won in 1992

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4
Q

Describe the Blair-Brown political marriage

A
  • Blair was PM for 10 years during which time Brown was Chancellor
  • Supposedly, at dinner at the Granita restraunt in Islington, 1994, it was agreed that Blair would temporarily take the leadership and then Brown would take over
  • The two developed a public rivalry that became known as ‘Labour’s civil war’
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5
Q

List Labour’s aims in 1997

A
  • Referendums on Scottish and Welsh devolution
  • The election of mayors
  • Hereditary peers to lose their right to vote in the House of Lords
  • European Convention on Human Rights to be incorporated into British law
  • A referendum on electoral reform
  • Legislation to ensure freedom on information
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6
Q

Describe Scottish devolution

A
  • Devolution referendums held in 1997
  • Voted to devolve powers (including tax raising) to a Scottish parliament
  • Led to the Scottish Assembly being established in Edinburgh
  • It was hoped this would weaken the SNP but it only strengthened them
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7
Q

Describe devolution in Wales

A
  • Referendum
  • Led to the setting up of the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff
  • Had fewer powers than Scotland e.g no tax raising
  • Plaid Cymru continued to gain support
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8
Q

Describe devolution in Northern Ireland

A
  • Government in Northern Ireland was devolved after the Good Friday Agreement in 1998
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9
Q

Describe devolution in England

A
  • A referendum was held in the North East in 2004 but this was rejected
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10
Q

Describe elections for London mayor

A
  • First elected mayor of London was Ken Livingstone in 1999
  • This was the last person Blair had wanted to win as he was a left-wing maverick
  • Blair blocked Livingstone from being the Labour candidate for London mayor in 2000
  • Livingstone ran as an independent and won
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11
Q

Describe reform of the House of Lords

A
  • Made a major effort but were largely unsuccessful
  • Hereditary peers were not abolished but cut to 92
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12
Q

Describe Freedom of Information

A
  • Freedom of Information Act passed 2000
  • Gave people the right to request info from public bodies
  • By 2006, over 1 mill requests were being made each year
  • Blair later described it as a mistake and said he feared it would stop politicians from making difficult decisions
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13
Q

Describe the incorporation of European Human rights

A
  • European Human Rights Act 1998
  • European Convention on Human Rights incorporated into British law
  • 2004, the government had to ammend a piece of anti-terrorism legislation as the House of Lords ruled it was incompatible with the act
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14
Q

Describe reforms to voting

A
  • A commission led by Roy Jenkins was set up to examine alternative voting systems
  • 1998 report said FPTP should be replaced with something closer to PR
  • However, no changes made
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15
Q

Describe positives in education

A
  • ‘Education, education and education’
  • Spending per pupil doubled
  • Increase of 36,000 teachers and 154,000 support staff
  • 11 year olds with english meeting required standards increased 65% to 79% and maths increased 60% to 78%
  • Students with at least five GCSEs rose from 45% in 1997 to 58% in 2007
  • 46 Academy schools opened
  • Registered childcare places doubled, to 1.38 million
  • By 2007, 43% of 18 to 30 year olds go to university
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16
Q

Describe negatives in education

A
  • ‘Postcode choice’ - buying a home within the catchment area of a strong secondary or going private
  • Many pupils still opting out of school after 16
  • One in 6 secondary schools underperforming by 2007 according to the Public Accounts Committee
  • Over 30% of secondary pupils played truant in 2006
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17
Q

Describe positives in crime

A
  • ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’
  • Crime fell 35% 1997-2007
  • 51% fall in burglaries
  • Backlog of asylum seekers reduced from 60,000 to 6000
  • ‘Respect campaign’ - 10,000 Asbos and 300,000 spot fines
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18
Q

Describe negatives in crime

A
  • Longer prison sentences
  • Record high prison numbers of 80,000
  • 2/3rds reoffended when released
  • Inside jail, mental health issues were common and there was little attempt at treatment
  • Not tough on causes of crime
  • Rise in teenage gun and knife crime
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19
Q

Describe the positives in health

A
  • Spending rises from $34bn in 1997 to $94bn by 2008
  • 20,000 more consultants and GPs and 70,000 more nurses by 2008
  • Number of people on waiting lists for operations fell by 384,000, 1997-2007
  • 118 new hospitals and 188 GP clinics open
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20
Q

Describe the negatives of health

A
  • Drugs bill rose by 13%
  • 75% increase in number of emergency ambulance calls
  • Number of people using NHS rose by 3% a year
  • Number of hospital beds had fallen by 15,000
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21
Q

Describe positives in work and pensions

A
  • Spending on child related benefits increased 53% in real terms 1997-2003
  • 700,000 children lifted out of poverty
  • No. of lone mothers in work rose from 45% to 56%
  • Thousands of the UKs biggest companies have axe final salary pensions
  • A series of New Deal schemes improve employment for young, single mothers and over 50’s
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22
Q

Describe negatives in work and pension

A
  • Number of people claiming incapacity benefit rose 2.3 mil to 2.7mil
  • Labour criticised for neglecting more than 2 million people claiming incapacity benefit
  • The government ignored retirement policy for as long as possible
  • Measures to raise age of eligibility for state pensions
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23
Q

Describe positives in transport

A
  • 10 year plan promising £180bn public and private investment in roads and public transport
  • 2003 London Mayor, Livingstone, introduces ambitious congestion charging scheme
  • On target for 40% reduction in deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 2010
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24
Q

Describe negatives in transport

A
  • 1998 to 2001, fatal train crashes at Southall, Ladbroke Grove and Hatfield led to a lack of confidence in transport
  • 2000, Britain was brought to a standstill by blockades at fuel deposits
  • 2001, government withdrew funding from private rail operator Railtrack and it collapsed
  • Road congestion cost the economy £15bn per year
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25
Q

Describe positives on environment

A
  • Chaired the G8 group of leading nations in 2005
  • Stern Report was considered an admirable wake up call
  • 2002, Countryside Alliance organise a march of half a million people to protest the banning of hunting with dogs. The ban passed anyway in 2004.
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26
Q

Describe negatives on environment

A
  • 2001, 6 million livestock slaughtered in an attempt to control rampant foot and mouth disease
  • 2004, Commercial GM crops put on hold after mixed results
  • Despite pledges to cut greenhouse gases, emissions rose in 5 of the 10 years since 1997
  • Biodiversity declined
  • Carbon dioxide emissions rose continuously from 1997
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27
Q

Describe positives for sport and culture

A
  • Increased public funding for sport from the National Lottery and the Exchequer from £222m to £580m per year
  • 97% of school held a competitive sports day by 2007
  • 3,000 new community sports coaches hired
  • Amateur sports clubs had 80% mandatory relief rate
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28
Q

Describe negatives for sport and culture

A
  • Cut the sports share of lottery proceeds from 20% to 16.6% to help fund 2012 olympics
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29
Q

Describe the situation Blair inherited in Northern Ireland

A
  • Major had built confidence between unionists and nationalists
  • There had been talks involving all NI parties, on and off since 1996
  • Hulme, leader of the SDLP, had persuaded Adams and McGuiness of Sinn Fein that a negotiated settlement was possible
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30
Q

Describe the NI talks

A
  • Both sides trusted chairman Mitchell, a former US senator and Clinton’s special envoy for NI
  • Blair developed a close relationship with Ahern, the Irish Taoiseach
  • Mowlem, Secreatary of state for NI, kept the paramilitaries on side by visiting them in Maze prison
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31
Q

Describe negotiation of the Good Friday agreement

A
  • Final negotiations went on for 17 hours after the final deadline
  • A UUP negotiator, Donaldson, walked out over lack of progress on the ensuring the IRA would decommission its arms
  • 10th April 1998, Mitchell announced an agreement had been reached and that it would be put to the people in a referendum
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32
Q

Describe the terms of the Good Friday Agreement

A
  • The UK and the Republic would give up their claim to NI so NI could self-determine
  • A devolved assembly and a power-sharing executive would be set up
  • Links between Britain, NI and Republic would all be strengthened
  • All parties would try to influence the decommission of arms
  • An independent commission would oversee reform of policing
  • Early release of prisoners if paramilitary organisations committed to peace
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33
Q

Describe the results of the Good Friday Agreement referendum

A
  • In NI, 71% voted in favour
  • In the Republic, 94% voted in favour
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34
Q

Describe opposition to the Good Friday Agreement

A
  • Many feared the negative influence of Dr Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
  • 1998, Omagh bombing killed 30 and was carried out by dissident republicans in the Community IRA
  • The DUP overtook the UUP as the main unionist political party in NI
  • Devolved institutions had to be suspended in 2002 until the St Andrew’s Agreement 2006
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35
Q

Describe Brown’s inheritance and aims as chancellor

A
  • Inherited a favourable economic situation
  • Keep inflation low
  • Keep gov spending under control
  • Prove that labour was pro-business and could be trusted with the economy
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36
Q

Describe what happened to the Bank of England

A
  • Was made independent from the gov in 1997
  • The government would set an inflation target but the BofE would decide where to set interest rates to meet this target
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37
Q

Describe Brown’s policy on borrowing

A

Set treasury rules about how much could be borrowed from the government

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38
Q

Describe Brown’s policy on spending

A
  • ‘Prudence with a purpose’
  • After 2001, there was an injection of money into public services particularly in education and healthcare
  • Exam results went up and waiting lists went down
  • Labour argued this was necessary due to years of neglect under the Conservatives
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39
Q

Describe some positives in the economy

A
  • Economic stability
  • By 2008, GDP was £1.118 trillion making the UK the 5th largest economy in the world
  • Interest rates decreased 6% to 5.25% 1997 to 2007
  • Unemployment fell from 2 million to 1.7 million
  • Government debt fell from 44% of GDP to 36%
40
Q

Describe some negatives in the economy

A
  • Increase in taxation was £3,100 per household
  • Personal debt increased, average household now owed 160% of its household income
  • Total mortgage borrowing rose over £1 trillion
  • House prices rose by an average of 11% a year
  • Blair raised extra cash by increasing national insurance rates and using fiscal drag. This left the treasury vulnerable to the charge of ‘stealth tax’ and enraged business leaders.
41
Q

Describe some positives in trade and industry

A
  • Productivity gap with US, Germany and France closed
  • Increased inward investment from £153bn in 1997 to £483bn in 2006 (inward investment more than x3)
  • The ‘fairness at work’ measures
  • Patricia Hewitt did not step in Rover went bust in 2005, for the last 5 years, Stephen Byers had done all he could
42
Q

Describe some negatives in trade and industry

A
  • 2005, Rover went bust
  • Manufacturing jobs went from 4.5 million to 3.2 million from 1997 to 2006
  • Many Labour supporters wanted more intervention
  • Industrial unions criticised the government for not protecting well-paid manufacturing jobs
43
Q

Describe energy

A
  • In 2003, Labour avoided building new nuclear stations, focusing instead on renewable energy
  • In 2006, Labour finally gave the go-ahead for nuclear power to prevent reliance on gas from unstable places such as Russia and Iran
44
Q

Describe the positives of Labour’s 2001 election campaign

A
  • Labour promised a large increase in the number of people employed in public service
  • Announced that the mortgage rate was at its lowest in 40 years
  • 58 company chiefs announced that would vote for Labour including Sir Alan Sugar and Sir Terence Conran
  • Blair promised an extra £300 million for cancer scanners and treatment machines
45
Q

Describe the Conservatives 2001 election campaign

A
  • Heath complained that William Hague had become a ‘laughing stock’
  • A poll showed that middle class backing for the Tories had dropped to 17% and was up to 59% for Labour
  • Tax plans became confused as Letwin claimed that the Tories planned to make tax cuts of £20 billion as opposed to the published £8 billion
  • 3 of the candidates stated they felt Britain’s felt Britain’s future lay outside of Europe
  • The Euro was seen as ‘the biggest constitutional change since Charles 1 had his head cut off’
46
Q

Describe Prescott’s punch

A
  • May 16th 2001, Labour’s ‘Black Day’
  • John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister, punched a man who had thrown an egg at him
  • BBC’s political correspondent, Andrew Marr, claimed that it was Labour’s worst day since the era of Michael Foot
47
Q

Describe the negatives of Labour’s 2001 election campaign

A
  • Peter Mandelson claimed that the party were not presenting itself well enough and the campaign needed tightening
  • Prescott’s punch
  • Straw, Home Secretary, was heckled at a Police Federation meeting
  • Tony Blair was given a telling off by a woman whose partner could not find a hospital bed despite having cancer
48
Q

Describe public apathy in the 2001 election

A
  • The public did not appear interested in an election
  • Political commentators predicted the worst voter turnout since 1918
  • The polls all showed labour well in the lead with around 48% to the Tories 32%
49
Q

Describe the results of the 2001 election

A

Labour won by a landslide

Turnout was low:
* Less than 50% in some constituencies
* Nearly 40% of those registered to vote did not
* The political analyst for the ‘Daily Mail’, Heathcoat Amory, claimed the election had been a victory for the ‘Stay at Home Party’

50
Q

Describe the results of the 2005 election

A
  • Gave labour a parliamentary majority of 66
  • Labour’s percentage of votes (36%), is the lowest any winning party has ever achieved
  • 60,000 more people voted for the Conservatives than Labour in England but Labour still won 92 more English seats
  • Both the Electoral Reform Society and ‘Make Votes Count’ expressed their concern that democracy within the UK was being damaged by the use of first past the post
51
Q

Describe the turnout in the 2005 election

A
  • 61% (up 2% from 2001)
  • 1/3rd of those registered to vote did not do so
  • More people opted not to vote (38.7%) than voted for labour (36%)
52
Q

Describe the background for the 2005 election

A
  • Labour claim that the Conservatives had cut £35 billion to public spending
  • De-selection of the Tory MP Howard Flight, Deputy Party Chairman, by Michael Howard
  • The Conservatives claimed that admission of intelligence failings meant there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the Labour government could not be trusted
  • Labour were ahead on education and health
  • The Conservatives were ahead on crime and asylum issues
53
Q

Describe Labour’s 2005 election campaign

A
  • MG Rover factory at Longbridge but then the Labour government offered £100 million to keep it afloat until talks with Shanghai Automotives were finalised
  • This saw labour move ahead by another 2% in the polls
  • Generally, the polls showed a late ‘surge’ by Labour up to around 40%
54
Q

Describe the Conservatives under William Hague

A
  • After defeat in 1997, Major resigned and was replaced by Hague
  • He had limited political experience and had no power base in the party
  • Was Thatcher’s preferred choice
  • He was mocked for wearing a baseball cap, for appearing at Notting Hill Carnival and for boasting of drinking 14 pints
  • Hague retreated further right which prevented loss of voters to UKIP or the British National Party but did not appeal to the middle ground
  • The average age of the party membership was 63
55
Q

Describe the Conservatives under Ian Duncan Smith

A
  • Replaced Hague
  • He was known as ‘the quiet man’
    The party was not ready to modernise and would suffer as a consequence
    Was ousted by a vote of no confidence in 2003
56
Q

Describe the Conservatives under Michael Howard

A
  • Was elected to replace Duncan Smith in 2003
  • Made little to no change
  • Was more charismatic than Duncan Smith but still no match for Blair
57
Q

Describe the Conservatives under David Cameron

A
  • After a 3rd successive defeat in 2005, the Conservatives realised the need to modernise and elected Cameron
  • Began to modernise and move towards the centre as well as moving the focus off Europe
  • This did cost some harder right voters who moved to fringe parties like UKIP
58
Q

Describe criticisms of workers rights

A
  • The percentage of the workforce with union membership fell from 29% to 26%
  • Did not repeal the TU legislation that had been passed by the Conservatives 1979 to 1997
  • Openly criticised strike action
  • Continued to pursue outsourcing and PFI
  • Air Traffic Control organisation was sold off, London Underground moved to a public-private partnership and there was discussion of selling Royal Mail
59
Q

Describe positives of workers rights

A
  • Backed the European Social Charter e.g All employees were now entitled to request up to 3 months parental leave to care for a child under 8
  • New Deal programmes to support the young, the old and the disabled in finding work
  • ‘work for those who can, security for those who can’t’
  • 1998, introduced National Minimum Wage
  • Tax credits introduced (means tested benefits)
60
Q

Describe positives of women

A
  • 1997, 120 female MPs, double the previous number
  • Women appointed to prominent positions e.g Becket as Foreign Secretary
  • 2007, all 3 and 4 year olds entitled to 12.5 hours a week free nursery education
  • 1999 to 2007, the percentage of FTSE 100 companies with no women on the board fell from 36% to 24%
61
Q

Describe negatives of women

A
  • 2007, women still only earning 87% of men
  • 2007, when couples were compared, women still did three times the amount of housework as men
62
Q

Describe positives for youth

A
  • Blair was the youngest PM ever elected
  • Social Exclusion Unit set up 1997 to combat exclusion of young people
  • Established Sure Start centres
  • 1999, pledged to end child poverty in 20 years and had brought it down 25% by 2005
  • Connexions service created to advise teenagers about their choices after school
63
Q

Describe negatives for youth

A
  • The number of NEETs (Not in education, employment or training) increased to nearly 20% by 2007
  • Antisocial Behaviour orders were introduced partly due to fear of youth crime
  • By 2005, 46% of ASBOs went to under 17 year olds
64
Q

Describe positives for multiculturalism

A
  • 2002, the first black cabinet minister when Boateng became chief secretary to the Treasury
  • One of the key reasons London was picked to host 2012 olympics was multiculturalism
65
Q

Describe negatives for multiculturalism

A
  • The Macpherson Report, 1998
  • 2001, BBC chairman, Dyke, acknowledged that his workforce was ‘hideously white’
  • 2005 terrorist attacks
66
Q

Describe the Macpherson Report

A
  • 1998
  • Investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence
  • Found the Met Police to be institutionally racist
67
Q

Describe the first 2005 terrorist attack

A
  • 7th July 2005, London
  • 4 suicide bombers attacked 3 underground trains and a bus
  • 52 people killed
  • 3 of the bombers were non-white British born citizens
68
Q

Describe the second 2005 terrorist attack

A
  • 21st July 2005
  • Four more suicide bombers attempted a similar attack but their bombs failed to explode
  • A day later, a young Brazilian was mistaken for one of the suspects and shot dead by police
  • Four men later convicted
  • They had been born in Ethiopia and Somalia but were naturalised British citizens
69
Q

Describe the measures Labour took to combat terrorism

A
  • 2006, created Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities. One role was to work with local authorities to prevent extremism.
  • National Identity Card Act 2006
  • Terrorist Act 2006 increased the time a suspect could be held without charge to 28 days
70
Q

Describe immigration

A
  • Number of voters who considered immigration a vital issue rose, 2001 to 2007, from 3% to 30%
  • Pressure group Migration Watch discussed the dangers of overstretching public services
  • Most experts agreed immigration benefited the nation economically and in overall birth rates
  • Many migrants returned home after a while, including 1/3rd of Polish migrants
71
Q

Describe Labour’s aims for FP with Europe

A
  • Better relations with European partners
  • Promised Britain be at centre of European Union
  • Inherited issue of European integration that came close to destroying John Major’s government
72
Q

Describe the influence of Blair’s leadership on relations with Europe

A
  • Started with good relations with French president Chirac (Saint-Marlo Agreement) and German president Schroeder
  • Britain took a lead in EU negotiations including the Treaty of Nice 2001
  • Over time, Blair became less friendly with Chirac and Schroeder
  • Became more friendly with the conservative Spain’s Aznar and Italy’s Berlusconi
73
Q

Describe the Euro and its affect on Britain’s relations with Europe

A
  • Blair was strongly in favour but Brown opposed
  • Brown set a number of economic conditions that would have to be met before Britain gave up the pound
  • Euro was introduced Jan 1999 but Britain did not join
74
Q

Describe the influence of the ‘special relationship’ on relations with Europe

A
  • Blair wanted to act as a bridge between US and Europe
  • Chirac and Schroeder became increasingly suspicious of relations with the US
  • Europe was sceptical of the 1998 and 2001 Anglo-American bombing raids on Iraq and of the Iraq War 2003
  • March 2003, Chirac declared France would veto any second UN resolution
75
Q

Describe how world role influenced relations with Europe

A

Blair led Europe on:
* Climate change
* World trade
* Reforming aid to Africa
* A common strategy against global terrorism

Blair wanted to involve Europe in:
* Action against Iraq
* The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians

76
Q

Describe the Social Chapter and its influence on relations in Europe

A
  • Signed soon after Labour took office
  • Promotes and protects socioeconomic rights
  • Guaranteed rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection and welfare
77
Q

Describe the expansion of the EU

A
  • The first group of six countries joined but Blair made the mistake of not restricting right of entry of workers and many more migrants arrived than expected
  • In 2007, Blair did impose temporary restrictions when Romania and Bulgaria joined
  • By 2007, the EU had expanded to 27 states and was in negotiations with even more
78
Q

Describe the European Security and Defence Policy

A
  • Started in 1998 with the Saint-Malo Agreement
  • Britain had previously feared complication for NATO but now took a much more positive view
79
Q

Describe the Common Agricultural Policy in this period

A
  • October 2002 negotiations on CAP reform, Chirac told Blair ‘You have been very rude and I have never been spoken to like that before’
  • Dec 2005, Blair was forced into accepting a modest cut in the rebate without a formal agreement on reducing CAP
80
Q

Why was Labour so keen to maintain the ‘special relationship’?

A
  • Blair and Clinton were both influenced by ideas of the Third Way
  • New Labour had been building relations with the Democrats from 1992 to learn how a left party could be electorally successful
  • The EU and UN failed to deal with the Yugoslavian crisis and it was felt the US and NATO could have helped
  • Wanted to bring an end to the Cold War
81
Q

Describe how the US and the UK moved apart

A
  • Relations became strained during the Kosovo Crisis in 1999
  • Blair was alienated by Clinton’s sexual indiscretions
  • The Democrats were replaced by Bush and the Republicans in 2000
  • There were accusations that Britain was too dependent on the US and that the relationship was not equal
82
Q

Describe intervention in Yugoslavia

A
  • Serbian attacks on Kosovo resulted in the final stages of the Balkan Wars
  • Blair devoted his attention to persuading Clinton to back military action against Serbia
  • In 1999, a prolonged NATO bombing campaign against Serbia forced Milosevic to pull his forces out of Kosovo
83
Q

Describe Sierra Leone

A
  • 2000, rebel forces in the Sierra Leone civil war threatened to take over the capital city, Freetown
  • British sent armed forces
  • Initially to evacuate foreigners but they then supported the UN peacekeepers in securing the capital and helped end the civil war in 2001
84
Q

Describe the plan for intervention in Afghanistan

A
  • Preparations began for NATO forces to invade Afghanistan, where the Taliban government allowed Al-Qaeda to use the country as a base for training and planning terrorist operations
  • The plan was to overthrow the Taliban and expel Al-Qaeda
  • On the 7th October 2001, Britain joined the US military campaign, supported by NATO and the UN
85
Q

Describe the consequences of intervention in Afghanistan

A
  • There was no instant success and the leaders of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda escaped
  • A new democratic regime was established but economic and political development were slow
  • From 2002, attention was drawn towards Iraq and critics argued that this allowed the Taliban to regroup on 2006 and 2007
86
Q

Describe the situation in Iraq in 2002

A
  • Iraq might link up with Al-Qaeda and provide a new base for terrorism
  • Iraq might develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
  • UN resolution, Nov 2002, forced Hussein to allow weapons inspectors into Iraq
  • 2003, the USA believed he was not properly cooperating and there was dispute with the UN about whether this warranted military force
  • Blair made efforts to win over European allies by pushing for a second UN resolution but was unsuccessful
87
Q

Describe the invasion of Iraq

A
  • March 2003, US invasion of Iraq backed by Britain, Poland and Italy among others
  • Military victory and overthrow of Hussein was complete by April 2003 but this was not neat and British forces became bogged down
  • By 2006, security and stability in Iraq had improved but the 2003 expectations had not been met
88
Q

Describe opposition to the invasion of Iraq

A
  • Four ministers, including the foreign secretary, Robin Cook, resigned over the issue
  • ‘Stop the War’ march through London in Feb 2003 attracted more than a million people
  • The failure to find evidence of WMD, which had been used to justify the invasion
  • May 2003, the British government was accused of having exaggerated the threat
  • British and US troops were accused of mistreating Iraqi prisoners of war
89
Q

Describe defence spending

A
  • Defence spending rose from £21bn to £32bn
  • Defence budget has remained at around 2.5% of GDP (twice that of Germany)
  • Size of armed forces was 96% of capacity
  • Longest growth in defence spending for more than 20 years
  • One of Blair’s last decisions was the costly replacement for the Trident nuclear weapons system
  • By 2007, more than 180 UK troops had died in operations and Britain had 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
90
Q

Why did Tony Blair step down?

A
  • Mounting opposition
  • Brown supporters becoming impatient and rumours of a ‘September coup’
  • Opposition over the Iraq war
  • ‘Cash for honours’ scandal
91
Q

Describe the departure of Blair

A
  • Resigned in June 2007
  • Brown was elected unopposed as successor
92
Q

Describe the ‘cash for honours’ scandal

A
  • Accusations that Labour promised honours to people making large donations to the people
  • No charges were ever brought
93
Q

Describe positives for the arts

A
  • Spending on the arts more than doubled from £186m to £412m
  • Attendance at museums and galleries had risen by 83%
94
Q

Describe the Olympics

A
  • Britain rose from 36th in the 1996 Olympics to 10th in the 2004 Olympics
  • Blair undertook 48hrs of diplomacy with the Olympic Committee in Singapore in July 2005, so London could host the 2012 Olympics
95
Q

Describe the ‘fairness at work’ measure

A
  • National minimum wage
  • Legal recognition for the trade unions
  • Signing the european chapter

History - Miss Wilde (7 decks)

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